Executive Search

Appointing a Chief Advancement Officer to develop and lead a major fundraising campaign

Date Posted:22 January 2025
Consultant:Andrew Norton

Conducting and executive search for a Chief Advancement Officer as an influential ambassador for this highly ranked and growing University

Case Study Advancement

The Brief

Future Leadership™ was engaged by this growing university to appoint a Chief Advancement Officer to lead and manage the development and progress of the University’s major fundraising campaign.  As a key advocate of the university’s strategic plan and capability, the incoming Chief Advancement Officer would be a strong relationship builder, both within the University and externally, to support a committed and aligned alumni and substantial philanthropic investment around the University’s key priorities.

Reporting directly to the Vice-Chancellor and as a member of the Senior Management Group, the Executive Director actively leads the Advancement Division which provides professional development and networking opportunities to alumni nationally and internationally, delivering a range of exclusive benefits and encouraging graduates to maintain a lifelong relationship with the University. The Chief Advancement Director will build effective and deep community engagement with alumni, industry partners and the communities it serves.

A comprehensive brief with key stakeholders within the University identified that the successful candidate would be commercially savvy and innovative, with a record of achievement in leading strategic alumni relations, business development, fundraising, and campaign management. An energetic and influential leader with strong networking capability, the ideal candidate would empower others and generate engagement and enthusiasm. Key relationship building skills with both internal and external stakeholders will also be critical to success.

9.19.1

Candidate net Promote Score

Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.

10,000+10,000+

Candidates supported every year

We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.

50.5%50.5%

Senior Women Appointed since 2002

Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.

98%98%

Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002

Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!

The Process

The Future Leadership team, undertook a comprehensive search across Australia and New Zealand, particularly targeting candidates who were strongly networked across Melbourne and Victoria.

Key steps included:

  • Briefing and Strategy Development: Engaged with Key Stakeholders to understand the role’s strategic priorities and challenges. It was agreed the search would focus on leaders in engagement, advancement and alumni relations in Australian and New Zealand universities with a successful track record of managing a complex advancement office
  • Targeted Candidate Search: Leveraging Future Leadership’s™ extensive networks and database, an executive search and outreach campaign was undertaken, targeting potential candidates across advancement, philanthropy, fundraising, development and campaigns including across the Higher Education and Research sectors in Melbourne. The search also identified additional targeted locations across Australia and internationally, focusing on potential expats returning to Melbourne. The search was supported by a print and online advertising campaign.  Additionally, the consultant team engaged with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a membership association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.
  • Candidate Assessment: A candidate pool comprising internal and external candidates was assessed by the consultant team, with a subsequent list of candidates discussed by the panel prior to confirming the final recommendations for panel interview. As part of the panel interview process candidates were asked to respond to a question on notice as to how they would approach their first 100 days to ensure success in the position.
  • Final Evaluation: Full reference checking was completed on the preferred candidates, with Future Leadership providing written reports to the panel.

Emerging Capabilities

01.

Strategy and Purpose

Develops and leads strategy for the function/organisation, taking a broad and long-term perspective. Communicates and gains buy-in to organisational goals and vision, promoting change initiatives.

02.

Culture and Engagement

Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment.

03.

Governance and Compliance

Establishes, champions, and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems. Identifies and evaluates risks and develops strategies to mitigate risk.

04.

Stakeholder Relations

Establishes rapport with stakeholders, builds and sustains trusted and collaborative relationships. Identifies and draws on relevant and diverse perspectives and integrates them to support productive interactions.

05.

Communication and Influence

Communicates with clarity and impact to facilitate individual and collective understanding, inspire action and enable information exchange. Leverages human-centric communication and storytelling to effectively influence stakeholders across the physical and virtual realms.

The Outcome

The successful candidate brought extensive experience in Advancement disciplines after nine years at the University of Sydney, where they led advancement services, alumni relations and development teams in both higher education and medical philanthropy. They had held the position of Director of Development during the university’s $1B fundraising campaign.

The appointee also brought international experience from earlier roles at Boston University.  The panel were impressed with the candidate’s previous contribution to changing University culture and the ability to bring together an integrated team of alumni relations, development and advancement services.

In accepting the position, the appointee identified they were motivated by the University’s values and the opportunity to lead the development of the University’s first comprehensive fund-raising campaign.

Consultant

Andrew Norton

Partner, Executive Search View Profile
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